Things We Love Today: The Beatles’ A Songs

I don’t talk about or listen to The Beatles all that much anymore.

Don’t get nervous, they’re still my favorite band with a bullet. And have been so since I was a wee turtle of 11. When it comes to my triumphant pantheon of most revered bands and musical artists… they ain’t even there. That pantheon has everybody else. The Fab Four are the entire universe that allows the pantheon to even exist.

I hope I explained that well. My day’s quizzicality has expanded at an exponential rate.

But therein lies the rub… I’ve listened to every last note, every last outtake, demo, remix, alt mix, mono and stereo variant, etc. beyond measure. I’ve gone down to many Beatle-related rabbit holes it hardly abides the telling.

And quite frankly, there is so much outstanding new music being released week after week, or new-to-me music I never sought out before, that the thought of pooh-poohing all of it in order to listen to the Abbey Road medley yet again seems counter-productive to my forward-looking artistic ethos.

It’s good to have an ethos.

But then, every now and then, I put the Fabs on and just melt away into their melodies — the music, the vocal harmonies, the arrangements and production — and like Pacino in Godfather III, they pull me back in.

Someone (nobody, actually) asked me if I love everything The Beatles ever did, and the answer is an easy “Good GOD, no!” There are songs I worship, some I really like, some I can live without, and maybe a handful I actively dislike. Maybe.

But I don’t think there’s a single Beatles tune that doesn’t have at least ONE THING I love about it.

Wait… too many double negatives. Let me rephrase that:

There’s at least one thing I love about every Beatles song.

Which leads us here today to Things We Love Today: The Beatles.

I’m going to go through each and every Beatle tune, in alphabetical order, and tell you one thing I love about it. And why.

It may not even be my favorite aspect of the song, but it will always be one I love.

So to quote the late great Marty DeBergi, whaddaya say? Let’s Boogie. And start with the A songs.

A Day In The Life — this one is such a gimme. I can throw a dart blindly and hit four dozen things I love about “A Day In The Life”: the gentle acoustic guitar intro, McCartney’s musical bassline driving the music, Ringo’s fills in the second verse…. but no, I’m going for the easy one here. The fact that this is the truest and most beautiful Lennon/McCartney of their entire partnership. Two distinct musical segments. Two separate voices. Two unique attitudes approaching the same day from different mentalities. Different ideologies. And coalescing together into a singularly wondrous musical vision.

A Hard Day’s Night — that opening chord is almost it. Almost. Or even George on his 12 string Rickenbacker doing that chiming, jangle-drunk outro. But today it’s Paul’s vocals on the middle eight, when he comes in on the “When I’m home…” and finishes with “… feelin’ you holding me tight, tight yeah!” How it leads right back into John’s commanding lead vocal? Sweeter than Jewish wine.

A Taste of Honey — speaking of sweeter than Jewish wine? Oof this track. It’s definitely not one of my favorite Beatle songs, cover or otherwise. I don’t really feel a whole lot of their enthusiasm in this track, but I’ll admit to enjoying Ringo hitting the drums with brushes has a pleasant, jazzy appeal.

Across The Universe — I know what you’re thinking: which version? It really doesn’t matter, although let’s say Spectorization is an anathema. Regardless, as airy and gentle the melodies are for this song, it’s the lyric “Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns and calls me on and on across the universe”. This is what I imagine being pulled into the next existence feels like.

Act Naturally — so I need to make this clear: I’m not a big rockabilly fan. And I never was a fan of whenever The Beatles did rockabilly/country-western covers in their early career. So while this is not one of my favorite Beatle tunes, Ringo certainly understood the assignment and gave it his all. My takeaway here is Paul’s pitch-perfect country harmonies during the final verse.

All I’ve Got To Do — the gentle, soulful shuffle of this tune is so infectious, it underscores how “All I’ve Got To Do” remains a criminally overlooked tune in the Beatles catalogue. But for me, it’s George’s Country Gentleman richly chiming those chords during the verses like the sonic equivalent of bourbon and chocolate.

All My Loving — no question, this goes to Paul’s walking bassline throughout the entire song. Good Lord, how did he, on the Ed Sullivan show, play that bassline and sing lead vocals at the same time? The bass is doing instrumental background vocals. Gosh!

All Together Now — I loved this tune as a kid. Hey, it ended the Yellow Submarine movie, right? Maybe a bit of a throwaway, but a throwaway delight. I always loved how Ringo’s background vocals on the final “ALL TOGETHER NOWWWWW!” are so prominent. Like giving the finger to the three others, here I come baby!

All You Need Is Love — this might be heresy but “All You Need Is Love” is not a favorite. I don’t dislike the song, but it’s not one I return too much. Or at all. Still, even if it is a bit dated and corny, there’s an undeniable beauty to it. What I dig most is how that 7/4 time feels optimistic and driving instead of tense and unnerving. It serves the song. That was John’s genius.

And I Love Her — one of the best songs they ever recorded, and Paul at his balladeering best. The song is dark and haunting, but also romantic and beautiful all at once. And my favorite is George’s magnificent acoustic solo, transposed from E/C#m to F/Dm. His solo is tasteful, melodic, wonderfully phrased, and an absolute standout. Plus George was responsible for the song’s driving riff as well. Good show, sir.

And Your Bird Can Sing — the amount of love I have for this song cannot even be charted. My takeaway here is George and Paul doing that twin guitar marvel on Epiphone Casinos. So tight, so locked in, so melodic, so perfectly aligned with each other. Everything about this tune is a Beatles highlight, but that twin guitar attack is incomparably intoxicating.

Anna (Go To Him) — how I absolutely love this song. I could go on forever about this nugget of soul balladry meeting pop perfection. John’s vocal lead during this Arthur Alexander classic is exquisite from start to finish. But that “Whoa oh oh oh oh oh Anna…” that recapitulates to the verses from the bridge? Magic.

Another Girl — this is another Beatle tune that never landed with me, but the three-part harmonies on the bridge are assuredly a sweet spot. Especially with Lennon on the highs.

Any Time At All — this song is an uptempo confection. George’s 12 string riffs at the end of each verse/chorus, the single piano notes underscoring each staff of every verse, Paul hitting the high notes in the second line of each chorus because John couldn’t quite reach them, George Martin’s using his piano to complement Harrison’s solo… all of them a joy. But if I had to choose one, it’s George’s 12-string riffs. Like candy, man.

Ask Me Why — there’s such a crooning Caribbean vibe to this song, it’s one of my most enjoyable Beatle listens. While John was leaning into Smokey Robinson hard on this one, I hear so much of his admiration for Roy Orbison as well. And it features one of his best early vocals performances. My favorite element of the tune remains the vocal harmonies on the chorus, specifically he and Paul meshing beautifully on the lnies “I can’t believe / It happened to me / I can’t conceive / Of any more . . . misery!”

See you in a few as we move on to the Bs and Cs!